The search committee charged with interviewing applicants for the LSU athletic director's job will begin sorting through 16 early applicants at a meeting Friday.

Greg McGarity and Verge Ausberry, associate athletic directors at Florida and LSU, are among those who have applied, though committee chairman Jack Weiss said the list is still open and a "work in progresss."

"The search firm will continue to work to identify other applicants and persuade them to throw their hat in the ring," Weiss said.

LSU is seeking to replace Skip Bertman, whose will retire effective June 30 after six years on the job.

Among the other applicants are three sitting athletic directors: Tom Collins of Brevard College in North Carolina; Tom Bowen of San Jose State University; and Jeff Barber of Liberty University in Virginia. Former Indiana Athletic Director Michael McNeely, also applied.

The rest of the early applicants include: Stan Harris, a former president of a Baton Rouge restaurant management group; Sean Casey, The Maine Games president, former athletic director at Dickinson State University and the University of Maine at Machias.; Moriba Baker, University of Trinidad and Tobago assistant sports coordinator; Carol Bennett, The Charity Distribution Center executive director in Georgia; Tony Farmer, ABA Orange County Gladiators head coach.; Kevin Millen, former Burlington Coat Factory salesman; Kaylord Saunders, self-employed fitness coach and assistant high school track coach in Minnesota; Lolita Yagnik, mortgage loan officer in Georgia; fromer Brigham Young wrestling coach and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz;, who is a former Brigham Young University wrestling coach, and 2006 Southern Illinois University Homecoming King Paul Wright.